Difficulty making more than one change at a time

user92626 said:

Why did you double fault so many in the match but serve aces with coach? What was different?

Part of learning and improving is being able to recognize the problem (the adverse difference in this case) or self troubleshoot. Deal with that difference and you should be on your way.

Speaking of matches I played well today Initially all my (like 3, 4) lobs went out or got killed with overhead, but I didn't give up. I kept adjusting and more importantly trying and eventually most of my lobs became winners. Gotta keep trying! I'm playing against a friend who's very dangerous at the net. We're at the point that for either one of us to win a point at the net, we need to make the last two shots great -- a good passing and a good putaway volley/overhead .

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EddieBrock said:

After a disastrous match I got to work on my serve and actually figured out my problem with it. Since then I've served about 4 times and used the new technique and having been serving incredible! Against my coach I had multiple aces and no double faults.

Another shot I wanted to improve was my 2 handed backhand and I worked on it almost exclusively a couple times and feel like Djokovic out there with it.

When I played a doubles match both shots were clicking and I was playing great until I was serving to stay in the set. Then 3 double faults in that game to lose the set. The next set I double faulted twice out of the 1st 3 points in a game until I realized I was making the same mistake I did before I worked on it. So I forced myself to make the change and I was able to serve well again.

It almost seems like whack-a-mole where my serve went off when I started working on my backhand. I feel like an idiot for serving the old way when I practiced the change over and over and know exactly what to do.

Should I keep focusing on just the serve until I get the old motion out of my system completely?

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EddieBrock said:

After a disastrous match I got to work on my serve and actually figured out my problem with it. Since then I've served about 4 times and used the new technique and having been serving incredible! Against my coach I had multiple aces and no double faults.

Another shot I wanted to improve was my 2 handed backhand and I worked on it almost exclusively a couple times and feel like Djokovic out there with it.

When I played a doubles match both shots were clicking and I was playing great until I was serving to stay in the set. Then 3 double faults in that game to lose the set. The next set I double faulted twice out of the 1st 3 points in a game until I realized I was making the same mistake I did before I worked on it. So I forced myself to make the change and I was able to serve well again.

It almost seems like whack-a-mole where my serve went off when I started working on my backhand. I feel like an idiot for serving the old way when I practiced the change over and over and know exactly what to do.

Should I keep focusing on just the serve until I get the old motion out of my system completely?

Click to expand...

EddieBrock said:

After a disastrous match I got to work on my serve and actually figured out my problem with it. Since then I've served about 4 times and used the new technique and having been serving incredible! Against my coach I had multiple aces and no double faults.

Another shot I wanted to improve was my 2 handed backhand and I worked on it almost exclusively a couple times and feel like Djokovic out there with it.

When I played a doubles match both shots were clicking and I was playing great until I was serving to stay in the set. Then 3 double faults in that game to lose the set. The next set I double faulted twice out of the 1st 3 points in a game until I realized I was making the same mistake I did before I worked on it. So I forced myself to make the change and I was able to serve well again.

It almost seems like whack-a-mole where my serve went off when I started working on my backhand. I feel like an idiot for serving the old way when I practiced the change over and over and know exactly what to do.

Should I keep focusing on just the serve until I get the old motion out of my system completely?

Click to expand...

EddieBrock said:

After a disastrous match I got to work on my serve and actually figured out my problem with it. Since then I've served about 4 times and used the new technique and having been serving incredible! Against my coach I had multiple aces and no double faults.

Another shot I wanted to improve was my 2 handed backhand and I worked on it almost exclusively a couple times and feel like Djokovic out there with it.

When I played a doubles match both shots were clicking and I was playing great until I was serving to stay in the set. Then 3 double faults in that game to lose the set. The next set I double faulted twice out of the 1st 3 points in a game until I realized I was making the same mistake I did before I worked on it. So I forced myself to make the change and I was able to serve well again.

It almost seems like whack-a-mole where my serve went off when I started working on my backhand. I feel like an idiot for serving the old way when I practiced the change over and over and know exactly what to do.

Should I keep focusing on just the serve until I get the old motion out of my system completely?

Click to expand...

nytennisaddict said:

yes.
i find it impossible to play matches & undergo technique changes....
because the drive to win, often overwhelms my desire to "fix my technique".
ideally you keep practicing the new motion, and even try playing matches with it... making the new motion the priority over winning.

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EddieBrock said:

The only good part of my singles loss before was that I finally figured out the difference between practice with a coach and matches, but in the heat of the match I was so focused on the result that I forgot about the process for almost 2 games. At least I fixed it in the 2nd game when I was double faulting and served well from that point forward.

Good job with the lobs! After the doubles match I had that's another shot I need to work on that doesn't come up anywhere near as much in singles.

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fuzz nation said:

Tough to put a clock on getting rid of old technique. Learning something new and doing it enough in different settings so that we do it all the time is a painstaking process, but it's rewarding if we can keep our eyes on the horizon.

Even though your new technique has clicked for you here and there, it hasn't become part of your "normal". Those old habits have been what you could unconsciously default to for a while, so you'll have to continue to jump in with both feet using the new stuff for a while until it becomes natural. That change is different for everybody, so keep your expectations under control. If you stick with it, your new moves will take root and become your new normal.

You'll absolutely see improvements during practice - including "practice points" - where your mind's eye can focus a little more on you. Real matches demand a lot more or our attention to focus on our opponents and that's where the old gremlins will sneak in. They'll even rear their ugly heads after they've been gone for a while and say, "Hi!! Did ya miss me?!" Hang in there - the path to developing new technique is rarely ever a straight line.

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user92626 said:

That's good that you eventually figure out the problem. It's understandable that our head might be too wrapped up with match results that nothing else could exist. So, I suppose in the next match just stay with the process. Believe it or not, I do that (focus on the next thing only) a lot.

Re lobs in singles it's really up to you to play them. Unlike pro matches recreational singles, no matter how advanced, create a lot of short balls. On top of that the pace is relatively slow. So if you are net competent (or simply enjoy net playing) you can run up a lot. The key is to take notes of your success and failure and update your skill accordingly.

My regular opponent is a fit, gym goer who's 10 years my senior but he admitted to me that he couldn't hang in rallies with me. He shoots for the side lines and run up to the net a lot to shorten points, and after a few years of playing he's got very good at volleying and overhead. Likewise I have to increase my "weapons" too. It's an ongoing race.


Anyway, back to your serving, in your version do you involve your wrist? You should for additional power (rhs) but it's also more erratic.

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